The setting, a certain East Coast city which had started to convert a vacant firehouse into a shelter for homeless women. Officials overseeing the construction had spent a $160,000 of federal grant money on the project when abruptly work was called off.
Turns out, the location was a big 'oops.' District officials belatedly realized that it would be next to the site of 765 luxury apartments. Apartment developers complained and, pronto, heartless officials did their bidding. Officials suddenly discovered that the project lacked an environmental clearance, lacked an affirmative action plan, lacked a pre-construction conference - and whatever other excuses were handy.
They shut the shelter down, and quicker than you could say, "Get out," city officials put the homeless back in their place. The ninety women affected by this reversal are now shoved into seven trailers, which were designed as a temporary solution back in 1987. The city's deputy mayor for economic development admitted that the women had to be relocated because the shelter didn't mix with the mayor's vision of a residential community.
In other words, the winners of life's lottery will get their luxury apartments. Homeless women will get the shaft. This is a true story folks, in a city where homeless women are very often minorities. Which makes you wonder if there was a racial component.
The point is, if you want to see politicians devoid of compassion, favoring the rich at the expense of the poor, then just visit Washington DC, where this story happened. It's a town run by Democrats.
Turns out, the location was a big 'oops.' District officials belatedly realized that it would be next to the site of 765 luxury apartments. Apartment developers complained and, pronto, heartless officials did their bidding. Officials suddenly discovered that the project lacked an environmental clearance, lacked an affirmative action plan, lacked a pre-construction conference - and whatever other excuses were handy.
They shut the shelter down, and quicker than you could say, "Get out," city officials put the homeless back in their place. The ninety women affected by this reversal are now shoved into seven trailers, which were designed as a temporary solution back in 1987. The city's deputy mayor for economic development admitted that the women had to be relocated because the shelter didn't mix with the mayor's vision of a residential community.
In other words, the winners of life's lottery will get their luxury apartments. Homeless women will get the shaft. This is a true story folks, in a city where homeless women are very often minorities. Which makes you wonder if there was a racial component.
The point is, if you want to see politicians devoid of compassion, favoring the rich at the expense of the poor, then just visit Washington DC, where this story happened. It's a town run by Democrats.
